Family Work Through Time and Space: An Ecological Perspective

Abstract

The goal of the current article is to describe how an ecological perspective could further our understanding of the division of labor in families. We consider how social contexts, or “space,” in conjunction with individual, family, social, and historical “time” influence the division of labor in families as well as its consequences for family members' well‐being and relationship quality. Research is examined that explores how social class, race and ethnicity, family structure and life course issues directly and indirectly affect the division of labor in families. Using examples from current research, we show that at times the predictors and outcomes of the division of family labor differ as a function of the social context in which they occur and as a function of unique historical and social time periods. An ecological perspective provides a framework for considering how the complex power and influence processes in families play out in different ways as a function of social values and norms reflected in our race and ethnicity, social class, gender, life stage, and family structure.